The present invention relates to an electronic analog timepiece, and in particular, to an electronic timepiece having multifunction indicators such as chronograph indication, timer indication and elapsed time indication.
To meet consumer demand, electronic analog timepieces such as watches have been manufactured having multifunctions such as chronograph, alarm, elapsed time and the like. Multifunction electronic analog watches are known from Japanese Patent Laid Open Nos. 286783/86 and 294388/86 and Japanese Utility Model Laid Open No. 26191/86 and include a small second hand, alarm hour/minute hands and other analog indicators in addition to twelve hour second, hour and minute hands. A small window for exclusive multifunction use is provided at arbitrary positions on the watch face for example, at the six o""clock watch face position, or some other position to indicate a special non-time keeping function such as the alarm time. Additionally an auxiliary stem, in addition to the normally provided stem, and a switch for switching into multifunction modes are required. The addition of multifunction indicators, stems and switches makes it possible to provide a variety of watch designs to cope with diversified consumer preferences and requirements.
These prior art multifunction electronic analog watches have been less than satisfactory. An individual watch movement structure and integrated circuit (xe2x80x9cICxe2x80x9d) for driving the structure are required for each combination of functions to be added. Accordingly, the movement structure and positioning of parts within the watch structure must be changed in accordance with the positioning of function indicators and due to the addition or reduction of functions and specification changes. Accordingly, the IC must be changed to match each new watch embodiment. Accordingly, manufacturers are forced to produce a variety of multifunction watches in small quantities to comply with consumer requirements as well as to provide a large variation in watch design function.
To vary the prior art multifunction electronic analog watches requires providing a number of dies, additional manual labor for changing the parts for each new watch model, changing the IC mask in accordance with each IC change as well as the time and work required for each design change resulting in a high cost for each multifunction electronic watch. Additionally, to design a multifunction watch with a redundancy which allows the disposition of a variety of parts and IC constructed to satisfy various embodiments of a single model electronic watch leads to a large watch site as well as increasing the cost of each watch.
Additionally, development of such ICs requires a relatively long period of time to design. It is therefore difficult to accommodate current market needs due to the long lead time required. Modification to the IC must be made on a large scale when adding new functions to the watch or otherwise changing the manufacturing specifications. Such modifications can require the IC to be totally redesigned. A single IC is also not able to cope with functional variations in the watch. Consequently, the constant changing diversified needs of the consumer cannot be satisfied by conventional multifunctional analog electronic watches.
The prior art multifunction electronic analog watches are also provided with an alarm. The alarm operates in an alarm ringing mode-and an alarm non-ringing mode. In the alarm ringing mode, a preset alarm set time is retained even after the alarm has been activated. The alarm also rings a predetermined period of time after the initial occurrence of the alarm ringing, such as, when the alarm set time again coincides with a current time. For example, this would occur each hours on a conventional multifunction analog electronic watch. In the prior art, to prevent the successive ringing of the alarm once the alarm has occurred, the alarm must be put into a mode which prohibits alarm activation through some switch operation or the like. Additionally, when resetting the alarm from the ringing prohibition state, the ringing prohibition state must be released thus involving a complicated operation. Accordingly, when the alarm is to be set in its alarm activated mode for two distinct alarm times, for example, if the alarm is to be activated a first time and then ten minutes in the future, the user of the watch must calculate the time in which the alarm is to be reactivated, add that time to the current time and then set the alarm for this second activation time, a rather involved procedure.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a multifunction electronic analog watch which is applicable to a large diversity of watch functions and designs while ensuring efficiency in design and manufacture.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, an improved multifunction analog electronic watch includes a wheel train for indicating ordinary time and at least one or more wheel trains for indicating additional functions. A step motor for driving the ordinary time wheel train and at least one or more step motors for driving the additional function wheel trains is provided. A microcomputer having a program memory allows twelve hour time and the additional functions are indicated at arbitrary positions of at least a movement center position, and additional arbitrary off center positioning such as at least one of a position on an axis at the twelve o""clock position, three o""clock position, the six o""clock position and the nine o""clock position according to the number and disposition of additional function indicators and step motors. A microcomputer on an IC chip having programmable memory controls driving of the step motors. An actuating signal generated by the microcomputer is determined by the disposition of the ordinary time indicating wheel train and the additional function indicating wheel trains. The actuating signal is adapted to various structures by rewriting software in the programmable memory.
An integrated circuit is provided which includes a core CPU and programmable memory. The programmable memory stores software commands for actuating the core CPU. A motor drive drives the plurality of step motors. A motor drive control circuit selectively supplies a predetermined drive signal to the motor drive in accordance with the software commands.
The watch also includes a plurality of indicators each being driven by at least one or more step motors. At least one of the functions of the multifunction analog electronic watch is an alarm. An alarm controlling means in conjunction with at least one of the step motors causes at least one of the indicators to indicate current time when the alarm time is not set, indicate the alarm set time once the alarm time is set, indicate the current time and release the alarm set time from its previous setting once the alarm is activated. When the alarm set time and the normal 12 hour time coincide, the alarm is activated and the alarm set time is then released from being set. When the alarm set time and the current 12 hour time coincide during setting of the alarm, the quick setting of the alarm set time is inoperative.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved electronic analog multifunction watch.
Another object of this invention is to provide an multifunction electronic analog watch which may be easily adapted to provide a number of different functions within a number of different watch designs.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a multifunction electronic analog watch which facilitates manufacturing a variety of multifunction analog watches utilizing redundant machinery, IC masks and other parts.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a multifunction electronic analog watch which may be adapted to a variety of configurations by reprogramming software rather than reconstructing the IC chip.
A further object of the invention is to provide a multifunction electronic analog watch which simplifies operation of the watch by omitting structure which prohibits the alarm from being rung when the alarm is not to be rung again once the alarm has been activated and structure for releasing the alarm from the ringing prohibited state when the alarm is being reset, while reducing the number of external operating members and simplifying the use of the alarm function when used as a timer to the required alarm setting.
Still other objects and advantage of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification and drawings.
The invention accordingly comprises features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.